Intuitive by design, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch also come with assistive features that allow people with disabilities to experience the fun and function of iOS. With these innovative technologies built in, iOS devices become powerful and affordable assistive devices.

If you are blind or have low vision, you can use VoiceOver, an advanced screen reader, to get the most from your iOS device. And Siri and Dictation help you type, launch apps and read your calendar.

VoiceOver

VoiceOver is a revolutionary screen reader that lets you know what’s happening on your Multi-Touch screen — and helps you navigate it — even if you can’t see it. Touch the screen to hear what’s under your finger, then use gestures to control your device. VoiceOver works with the apps that come with your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Learn more about VoiceOver

Speak Screen

If you have a hard time reading the text on your iOS device, use Speak Screen to read your email, iMessages, web pages and books to you. Turn on Speak Screen and swipe down from the top with two fingers, or just tell Siri to Speak Screen and have all the content of the page read back to you. You can adjust the voice’s dialect and speaking rate, and have words highlighted as they’re being read.

Siri

Siri, Apple’s intelligent assistant, helps you do the things you do every day.1 All you have to do is ask. Say something like “Tell Jay I’m running late” or “Remind me to make a booking for Saturday”. Siri can send messages, place phone calls, schedule meetings, and even turn on and off VoiceOver, Guided Access and Invert Colours. And because Siri is integrated with VoiceOver, you can ask where the nearest sushi restaurant is and hear the answer read out loud.

Dictation

Dictation lets you talk where you would type. Tap the microphone button on the keyboard, say what you want to write, and your iOS device converts your words (and numbers and characters) into text. So it’s easy to type an email, note or URL — without typing at all.

Zoom

Zoom is a built-in magnifier that works wherever you are in iOS, from Mail and Safari to the Home and Lock screens. And it works with all apps from the App Store. Turn Zoom on for full-screen or picture-in-picture mode, allowing you to see the zoomed area in a separate window while keeping the rest of the screen at its native size. You can adjust the magnification between 100 and 1,500 per cent, and access multiple filter options in either mode. While you’re zoomed in, you can still use all of the familiar gestures to navigate your device. And Zoom works with VoiceOver, so you can bettersee — and hear — what’s happening on your screen.

Font Adjustments

When you activate Larger Dynamic Type, the text inside a range of apps in iOS 8 — including Calendar, Contacts, Mail, Messages, Music, Notes and Settings — and even some third-party apps is converted to a larger, easier-to-read size. And you can choose bold text to make the text heavier across a range of built-in applications.

Invert Colours

If a higher contrast or a lack of colour helps you better see what’s on your display, iOS lets you invert the colours or enable greyscale. Once you set your filter, the settings apply system-wide, even to video, so you get the same view no matter what you’re seeing.

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can communicate in a variety of ways with iOS features like FaceTime video calling and unlimited texting. And assistive technologies such as closed captions and mono audio help you enjoy your content.

FaceTime

FaceTime video calls let you communicate in more ways than one. Catch every gesture and facial expression — from a raised eyebrow to an ear-to-ear smile. Thanks to its high-quality video and fast frame rate, FaceTime is ideal for people who communicate using sign language. And because Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch all come equipped with FaceTime, you can talk to iOS and OS X users across the street or across the globe. As if you’re face to face.2

Closed Captions

Watch movies, TV shows and podcasts with closed captions. Just look for the CC icon to buy or rent captioned movies from the iTunes Store or find captioned podcasts in iTunes U. Download them straight to your iOS device to watch on the go. iOS also supports open captions and subtitles. You can even customise captions with different styles and fonts.

Messages with iMessage

iMessage lets you start up a conversation — or keep it going — without needing to say or hear a word. Send unlimited messages to anyone on an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac. Or send a group message to keep everyone in the loop. You can also share photos, videos, locations, links or the occasional emoticon.3

Mono Audio

When you’re using headphones, you may miss some audio if you’re deaf or hard of hearing in one ear. That’s because stereo recordings usually have distinct left- and right-channel audio tracks. iOS can help by playing both audio channels in both ears, and letting you adjust the balance for greater volume in either ear, so you won’t miss a single note of a concerto or word of an audiobook.

Visible and Vibrating Alerts

iPhone lets you know when something’s up, in a way you’ll notice. It delivers both visual and vibrating alerts for incoming phone and FaceTime calls, new text messages, new and sent mail, and Calendar events. You can set an LED light flash for incoming calls and alerts. Or have incoming calls display a photo of the caller. Choose from different vibration patterns or create your own.

Made for iPhone Hearing Aids

Apple has worked with top manufacturers to create hearing aids designed specifically for iPhone. These hearing aids deliver a power-efficient, high-quality digital audio experience, and will allow you to manage your hearing aid straight from your iPhone. Learn more

Innovative iOS technologies make the Multi-Touch screen easily accessible to those with physical or motor challenges who find it hard to tap or use gestures. And features like Siri let you control your iOS device just by talking.

AssistiveTouch

iOS devices are remarkably intuitive and easy to use. And AssistiveTouch lets you adapt the Multi-Touch screen of your iOS device to your unique physical needs. So if you have difficulty with some gestures, like pinch, you can make them accessible with just a tap of a finger. Or create a customised gesture. And if you have trouble pressing the Home button, you can activate it with an onscreen tap. Gestures like rotate and shake are available even when your iOS device is mounted on a wheelchair. And iOS devices also support a number of third-party assistive devices that help you interact with your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Siri

Siri, Apple’s intelligent assistant, helps you do the things you do every day.1 All you have to do is ask. Say something like “Tell Lucy I’m running late” or “Remind me to make reservations for Saturday”. Siri can send messages, place phone calls, schedule meetings, set reminders, look up movies and more. And Siri is integrated with VoiceOver, so you can ask where the nearest sushi restaurant is, and hear the answer read out loud. You can even use Siri to turn on Invert Colors and Guided Access.

Switch Control

Built directly into iOS, Switch Control is a powerful new accessibility technology for anyone with impaired physical and motor skills. Switch Control allows you to navigate sequentially through onscreen items and perform specific actions using a variety of Bluetooth-enabled switch hardware.

Dictation

Dictation lets you talk wherever you would type. Tap the microphone button on the keyboard, say what you want to write, and your iOS device converts your words (and numbers and characters) into text. So it’s easy to type an email, note or URL — without typing at all.

Keyboard Shortcuts

If there’s a word or phrase you frequently use, create a customised shortcut — and iOS will type it out for you. For example, “appt” can expand to “appointment” or “cyl” to “Call you later”. Keyboard shortcuts make it easier and faster to type your name, email address, home address or any other text that you commonly type.

Predictive Text

Tap to choose the perfect suggestion for your next word — predictive text adjusts results based on who you’re talking to and what you’ve said before.*

Support for Third Party Keyboards

Swipe rather than type, or go old school with the classic keyboard layout. iOS 8 opens up the keyboard to developers. And now that new keyboards are available, you can choose your favourite input method or layout systemwide.

iOS devices are fun and powerful learning tools for people with attention challenges or other cognitive and learning disabilities. You can minimise visual stimulation to help with focus, limit access to a single app, and tap to easily access text-to-speech tools and definitions.

Guided Access

Guided Access helps people with autism or other attention and sensory challenges stay focused on the task (or app) at hand. With Guided Access, a parent, teacher or therapist can limit an iOS device to stay on one app by disabling the Home button, and limit the amount of time spent in an app. You can even restrict access to the keyboard or touch input on certain areas of the screen. So wandering taps and gestures won’t distract from learning.

Speak Selection

We all learn in different ways. Some of us learn better when more than one sense is engaged simultaneously. If you have a learning disability like dyslexia, Speak Screen can help with reading. Turn on Speak Screen and swipe down from the top with two fingers, or just tell Siri to Speak Screen and have all the content of the page read back to you. You can also have words highlighted as they’re being read so you can follow along. Even the voice’s dialect and speaking rate can be adjusted to suit your needs.

Dictionary

Say you’re reading an article on astronomy and are stuck on some terminology. Just look it up — dictionary definitions are integrated into iOS.† Get quick access to definitions and commonly used phrases to help with spelling, pronunciation and grammar.

Safari Reader

For some students, navigating the web can be a sensory overload. Safari Reader reduces the visual clutter on a web page by removing distractions. It strips away ads, buttons and navigation bars, allowing you to focus on just the content you want. And Safari Reader works with Speak Selection and VoiceOver, to provide auditory reinforcement for what you’re seeing.

Speech

People with speech impairments can also benefit from iOS features. FaceTime lets you communicate visually, whether you use sign language, gestures or facial expressions. iMessage lets you chat with others via text. And Speak Selection helps with speech development by speaking the words you’re reading. Or you can compose your own text and have your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch speak for you. There are also over 100 third-party speech apps that can turn your iOS device into a powerful augmentative communication device. Learn more about third-party apps